I MADE IT TO MAINE - 64 miles

Today was incredible - I finally made it! It was so exciting to see the Atlantic Ocean and even better to swim in it! There is so much to say and not enough words to describe the experience - many thanks to every one of you for your love and support - it has meant the world! I had a smile from EAR to EAR all day today. The weather was calling for rain but our weather angel showed up right in time and the sun was bright, warm, and shining - we couldn't have asked for a better day. We had a police escort for the last 4 miles to the beach and were allowed to take the whole car lane - sweet! I have my bike boxed up and ready to come home in time for the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge on Saturday! YAHOO! We have a group of about 25 of us going to dinner tonight at one of the best seaford places in Maine. I am sure the company will be great and we will all be drinking plenty of wine since we aren't riding tomorrow - I can't believe it's over! I can't wait to see everyone at home and I can't believe I actually biked all the way across the country - it hasn't totally sank in yet but I think its pretty darn great! YAHOO!

Day 51 – From Battleboro, Vermont to Manchester, New Hampshire – 87 miles

Today we arrived in our last official state of the tour, New Hampshire (though many of us are continuing onto Maine), and we were all excited as we could smell the Atlantic Ocean in the air… or was that the rain coming all afternoon? Rain rain go away, come back in just a few days! We got soaked! Today had the most difficult climbs, with some of them reading on a Garmin at between 18 and 22 percent grade – I didn’t even know my bike could make it over those grades and it hardly did J It was nice to have a challenge on the last full day on the tour. We were greeted by rain all afternoon and arrived in New Hampshire totally soaked, though our spirits were high. Many riders’ relatives and friends arrived, since we were having our last supper together. We enjoyed lots of conversation and lots of congratulations from everyone. Sue even received flowers from a good friend of hers – how sweet! And Gary had bottles of wine delivered from his winery in California – that was a special treat.

Our evening was long and we didn’t get in bed until almost 11pm! We had a special video presentation of our ride across that country that Gerard, our mechanic and tour leader and great photographer, put together. He is going to do a full DVD for us all and send it out later. It was fun to watch and think of the memories in the different parts of the country. We also were presented with funny gifts – I was given BUBBLES for my bubbly personality. We each had a chance to say a few words and there were many laughs, many thanks, and many tears. This would be our last night together and we all felt the excitement of almost accomplishing such a huge feat and also the sadness of the reality that all 40 of us will never be in the same room again together. What an experience this has been! Amazing!

Pictured to the right: Michelle and Andy, our head tour leaders - they were incredible!

Day 50 – From Latham, New York to Brattleboro, Vermont – 86 miles

I think Vermont might be my favorite state so far. It is absolutely beautiful! We had some hill climbing today as we went over the Green Mountains – the climbing wasn’t hard at all and was a welcome joy for me – I really like climbing, especially since you get to see such beauty usually when you are climbing. The mountains surrounding us were very green! All the towns we went through were cute and quaint and very touristy. It was also sooo humid out today - I was soaking wet all day from it - intense! We also passed the AT (Appalachian Trail) and that brought back some great memories.

At the first sag stop, Skip waited for me and we road together with Don to the Vermont State Border and then into the town of Old Bennington. We were greeted by what I call the “Dr. Seuss House” – super cool, huh? We went off the route and through the town of Old Bennington – it’s a cute town with a really large monument that would have been worth going up in if the day was clear. There are also many covered bridges and so we went and saw one (photo on the right is of me INSIDE the covered bridge). Old Bennington is rumored to have the most expensive college in the USA at over $68,000 per year – and that’s only undergrad! Wowzers!

Don rode quickly up the mountains and Skip stayed back with me… I love to climb but I am not that fast. We had ice cream cones in the town of Wilmington, another cute touristy town. At least I was able to find some postcards in these towns – it hasn’t been so easy along the route – I think people don’t really send postcards much anymore! So much for that idea of sending a postcard to my niece at every stop – I have searched and scouted out as many as possible… I am sure in another 40 years people might not even know what a postcard is… hahaha!

We entered the town of Brattleboro and went over a bridge to see the Connecticut River… and we ended up entering New Hampshire! Three states in one day… started in New York, rode through Vermont, and rode into New Hampshire. I didn’t realize New Hampshire was quite so close… I know we ride into it at some point tomorrow but I think we ride a bit north before going into our last state. I do plan to continue on an extra few miles to also hit Maine but our official stopping point is Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

That’s about it today – just amazing beauty, amazing mountains, and amazing company – Skip is always great company! This trip is so fun that I find myself slowing down and wanting to take in as much of it as I can before its over.

Day 49 – From Little Falls, NY to Lathem, New York – 79 miles

Today was so great! We followed a river all day long and even spent over 30 miles on a bike trail along the river – I couldn’t take enough photos of the beauty! It was sooo nice to be away from traffic and have the serenity of just nature surrounding me – we went by a few Locks and it was cool to see them. We also went through Amish country again - didn’t see as many Amish but a few and signs for them on the road.

Oh and good news – my butt is sooo much better – the key was Neosporin! I put on Neosporin last night and it almost healed everything overnight. I felt no discomfort today, though I am still trying to heal the sores completely. My cough is still there occasionally and sounds pretty bad when I cough but my sore throat is gone and I think the cough is actually getting better. I feel better able to breathe. All and all – I am on the mend and doing well. I have the Santa Cruz Mountain Challenge Century about 3 days after I get home so I want to be well and able to do it!


Also, everyone enjoys anything comfy on their butt after a long ride – see John’s photo of sitting on a nice thick pillow while waiting for route rap – AHH!! Couldn’t have captured the moment better – nice!

There is much talk of the last few days and a countdown going on. Though its natural to discuss our plans for the end, it still saddens me to hear about the end coming so soon. This trip has gone by so fast! I wish I could just hold onto every moment and enjoy every moment because it will be gone so quick. I am glad so many of you have enjoyed reading my blog - also, thanks for all the advice and comments you have put up - it has been so motivating for me!

Day 48 – From Liverpool, New York to Little Falls, New York – 79 miles

What a humid day! I think I was sweating even when I was off the bike. So, my angel today was LANACANE – it numbs you and allows you to keep riding when your raw butt isn’t too happy with it. I made it through most of the day without too much pain but the last 30 minutes, I stood up much of the way and sometimes even rode sideways on my seat. I finally got my IPOD stereo system working so I was able to have some good tunes to listen to as I cycled along. I also enjoyed a lot of time in the silence, since it nice not to always have noise. I even listened and did a meditation on the bike… very nice.

The route today was mostly flat and felt like it went pretty quick. We passed by many creeks and often ran into the Erie Canal Trail. We even passed by the smallest chapel in the world – it only has room for 2 people – I didn’t get a chance to go in cause its on a swampy pond but got a photo with it! I had lunch at Subway with Kip and Danny. I got into the hotel before 2pm and got out of my bike shorts ASAP and took a shower and put desitin on my booda! I think I am going to try Neosporin tonight – Lanacane, Desitin, and Neosporin – one of these products should work! My throat doesn’t hurt as much and I think the congestion in my chest is clearing up! Good news all around J

I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon and we all did laundry or hung out and had a beer (or two or three... depending on who you are!). I left a message for my nephew, Ricardo Luke, today since it’s his birthday – I didn’t get to talk to the birthday boy but I hear he is having a swim party – how fun! I am sad to miss out on his 2nd b-day but I am sure they are all celebrating well!

Tonight we have social hour with free drinks at 5pm – yippee! That is always fun. I was actually talking to Sue today about how I have really mixed feelings about the trip ending. Of course, I will love to see everyone at home but I will also really miss this trip, the people, and this life of riding. I have gotten really use to this routine – I feel sad and happy thinking about the change – life will be so different when I get home.

Day 47 - From Canandaigua, NY to Liverpool, NY – 101 miles

Today was a beautiful day – we rode along more of the finger lakes of Lake Erie and I even got off and rode some of the bike paths directly along the river. They were beautiful! We had some rain mid-day and I was riding with Skip, so we waited out the rain where we saw other cyclists waiting out the rain near a store. The cyclists were two couples from Utah who were biking the Erie Canal trail – so we talked with them for 30 minutes and let the rain blow over and then we were off again – totally dry!

We went through some historical markers today – the town of Waterloo, which is the Birthplace of Memorial Day, and the town of Seneca Falls, which is the birthplace of Women’s Rights. I looked for a falls in Seneca Falls but despite all the signs to one, no falls was found. We also rode by the Erie Canal Trail and Skip and I rode on it for about 1/2 mile but it wasn't too well paved so we turned around and got back on the route. We rode into the town of Liverpool and Skip and I got off the main path to join up with a bike path along the lake. It was definitely the place to be – with lots of kids, lots of runners, walkers, rollerbladers, bikers, and people just enjoying a relaxing day by the lake. We ended up winning two t-shirts by spinning a wheel that a local country music station was hosting and we had a great lunch by the lake. We also met some kids riding an interesting bike that they rented there – it was like an octopus – Skip joined in on the fun and I took the photos! Very neat.

I continued on to the bike shop to buy what I needed for my water holder so that I can use the new IPOD speaker system. The people at the bike shop were really nice. On my way there, I was noticing some pain on my butt – never had a saddle sore but now I know what one is – OUCH! So, today will be my last century (most likely). I rode an extra 32 miles today (we were suppose to only do 69 miles) in order to get in a century and do some exploring around. However, I need to lay off my butt for awhile so no extra miles for me – I hope it heals it hurts to sit or walk or anything. I am using the diaper cream that my mom sent for my b-day – thanks mom – it came in handy! I hope it feels better tomorrow than it did at the end of the ride today – cause it HURT!

I am also still getting sick – the congestion in my chest is worse and its hard to breathe going up the hills. I feel almost asthmatic. I had lots of tea at dinner tonight and continue to drink lots and am talking some Tylenol for congestion and sinus pain. Despite the sickness and sores on the butt, I am having a great time and am soaking up every minute. I can’t believe this will be over in less than a week – I want to get the most out of it that I can while I am here – life is soooo good!

Day 46 From Hamburg, New York to Canandaigua, New York – 100 miles

Today was definitely interesting. We started out the day getting lost due to road work but finally made it back on the right route. About 10 miles into the ride, we stopped at a Bicycle Museum, which was sooo interesting! It included about an hour tour and, as with many museums, there was so much information that it was hard to absorb it all. However, it was very informative about the invention of the bicycle. Due to this detour, we ended up just missing the large rain downpours which some of our faster riders or those who didn’t go to the museum got in. I had my camera in a plastic bag for the rest of the day since the rain seemed like it would eventually pour . . . but no rain for me today (some of the riders actually got caught in a hailstorm… wowzers… all within a days ride!). The forecast was for sunny skies so this was quite a surprise to all of us.

Anyway, it’s funny that Lawrence commented about getting sick due to swimming in Lake Erie, since my throat hasn’t felt so great and I feel a little congested. I ended up getting some medicine this afternoon that should help.

Just for those of you who care, like me, this is my 6th century in 7 days – YAHOO! On another note, in order to make some extra miles today, I rode along the lake here in Canandaigua. The lake is one of many Finger Lakes of Lake Erie. I counted 12 Finger Lakes on the map. It is absolutely beautiful here – definitely a lake town. I noticed that every town we have gone through in PA and NY have ice cream shops in the towns, even when there is nothing else… umm.. Interesting! Ice cream must be big here.

Another random thing, I am excited to use my new ipod speakers for my bike but haven't been able to figure it out yet - found out that I need something different for my water bottle cages so I got directions to a cycle shop and Syracuse for tomorrow and will pick it up when I get there and then I will have a stereo system on my bike - sweet! Thanks mom :)

Day 45 – From Erie, Pennsylvania to Hamburg, New York – 103 miles

The ride today was along Lake Erie most of the way – it was really pretty with vineyards everywhere. I really felt like I was at home. Lake Erie looks like an ocean when you look out – you can’t see land. I spoke with some locals at a marina that we stopped at and they said that the border control comes through there a lot and they aren’t allowed to allow any Canadians off at their port. They said ever since 911 the USA has gotten really strict because supposedly the 911 attackers came from over the border of Canada. The border between the USA and Canada is in the middle of Lake Erie... That’s so neat! The locals also said there were many sightings of bald eagles in the direction we were going – so I was on the lookout… but never saw one.

Anyway, I passed through another state and now am in New York – only two more states to go! I can’t believe it. I feel like soaking up all I can because it’s going to be over so soon! I am having the best time.

Today was incredible! The route sheet was only an 81 miler but I decided to do some exploring and finished at 103. I had sooo much fun – it reminded me of being at home and exploring with Annie or Claire… I enjoyed it so much. Danny joined me, which was great, because it is much more fun to explore with someone else. We took side trips through some towns, through parks, and ultimately found our way to the beach of Lake Erie and I just had to jump in! The beach was closed but I used the line “but I biked all the way from San Francisco JUST to swim in Lake Erie and you are telling me that the beach is closed to swimming?” I got a lot of “NO WAY – so cool dude…” hahaha… it was a blast. Danny and I even got our photo taken by two EMTs who were quite impressed with the accomplishment of making it to NY from CA… I guess it is pretty cool. Anyway, I did end up being able to swim in Lake Erie… it is quite warm actually… I was expected a cold rush of water but it was really nice and warm… like a lukewarm bath – it was awesome. We survived our way through the crowded streets with lots of traffic back to the hotel and we were dry by the time we got there! We tried to take side streets that were residential but they were all dead end streets… so much for that!

Anyway, our adventure day lasted until 5pm and then I had to do laundry since I am all out of biking clothes… the closest laundry mat was 4 miles away so I got a quick shower, got a taxi, and had my clothes back and dinner was near the laundromat so I walked over there afterwards. I made it just as the vans were pulling up to drop off the other riders. It was quite a whirlwind day. I got home from dinner at a Chinese Buffet – not my favorite at all – at 8pm and then went straight to bed. I was totally exhausted – in a great way! Life is sooo good J

Day 44 – Rest Day in Erie, PA – Spent at Niagara Falls – On my Birthday!

Well, I am not sure how to even put my day into words – it was the best birthday ever! A group of 4 other riders (Skip, Don, Pete, and Hetty) and I all rented a car and drove to Niagara Falls for the day – I know now why it is one of the seven wonders of the world – it was spectacular! I still can’t believe a place like that exists in the world! It is an entire lake going over a cliff... wowzers!

We left Erie about 7:30am and arrived in Niagara around 9:30am. We bought the National Park pass, which allowed us to see all the attractions – we started by walking around the park and looking at the falls… we went over the American Falls and then Bridal Veil falls… then we went and got outfitted to see the Cave of the Winds… they gave us ponchos, baggies for our stuff, and rain shoes (see photo of me like a duck!) to go down near the American falls and you could feel the intense power of the falls and got soaked on Hurricane Bridge – it was awesome! We also went up on the observation tower to overlook the falls and then went to my favorite attraction, the Maid of the Mist. For this one, you get ponchos, again, but this time they are blue (my favorite color) and get in a boat which takes you right up to the Horseshoe Falls (there are three falls… American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls… with the Horseshoe Falls being the most powerful of all three of them). While being under the falls on the boat, you could feel intense majesty of them… it was absolutely incredible! All the looking over the falls was great but actually going up to them by boat was indescribable – I don’t know how any birthday will ever top this one – fantastic! I just smile thinking about it. I was in awe!

After the Maid of the Mist, we went to see a video about Niagara Falls and its history. It was done by IMAX and was also amazing. Did you know that there was a 63 year old woman who went over the falls in a barrel and lived? And there was a 7 year old boy who went over the falls and lived! Amazing… the video went through the myths and legends of the falls… it was interesting to watch. We toped the day off with some drinks and dinner along the Bay of Lake Erie. It was relaxing and very nice.

I arrived at the hotel and received an unexpected birthday card from Sister Mary Audrey and Sister Denise – beautiful – THANK YOU!!! J It made me smile. I also received a package from my mom and dad – an IPOD water bottle speaker for cycling – SWEET! I was sooo excited and could hardly get to bed last while I was trying to set it up for the ride today – YAHOO! THANK YOU!!! I was also expected a forwarded package from Chillicothe, Missouri from Sarah and they said they sent it but I didn’t receive it – so I’ll have to forward it from Erie to the end… .Bummer… cause I hear there are great CDs in there! I’ll keep tracking it Sarah – thanks for your birthday song yesterday. And thank you to everyone for the cards, well wishes, text messages, phone messages, etc… it was great to hear from so many of you!!

Day 43 - From Youngstown, Ohio to Erie, Pennsylvania - 104 miles

Today was quite an eventful day! I started with

an hour in the morning waking up at Starbucks across the street from our hotel. This was very exciting to me because this is one of the few Starbucks that have been in walking distance from our hotel on this trip and often there isn’t even a Starbucks in the town we are staying in or any towns nearby. I got two Starbucks cards to use on my trip – thanks Annie and Mom – and have hardl

y used them – so I enjoyed a nice warm cup of tea this morning as I read my book before everyone else woke up and had breakfast at 6:30am. I also read the weather which predicted thunderstorms throughout the day – lovely!

Well we didn’t have thunderstorms but we did have some major rain downpour for many many miles. In the middle of the rain, my front wheel broke a spoke and the rim cracked – that is two awful wheels I had on my bike – so I was in the pouring rain and couldn’t go anywhere. I called the sag wagon and luckily they were only a few miles away and drove me to the first sag stop to exchange my wheel for another loaner – I was really upset and sobbing about it, but my tour leaders made it not so bad and had me out on my bike right away. I rode back to where I got sagged so that I could make up those miles and to make it an even 100 miler day since it was only an extra 3 miles I had to go back and the day needed exactly 3 more miles to make it 100 miles – so it was perfect! However, I got lost and ended up adding an extra 4 miles to the 100 – so that was a longer day than I expected but I felt great the whole day and could have kept riding! I even considered, just briefly, of doing the 15 mile loop around Lake Erie – just a fleeting thought.

We passed through another state and the sun came out the rest of the day – we are now in Pennsylva

nia and will be having a rest day here, on my birthday! I didn’t get a photo of me and the state sign but Richard did and will be emailing it to me so that I can post it :) My camera was having trouble due to the rain but it started to work again this evening so I got some great photos of my lovely birthday cake that was at dinner tonight. No one knew who sent me the birthday cake and it was even in my favorite color – blue! :) We were all so eager to eat it that I forgot to take a photo of it before I cut it. It tasted great and later I found out my mom arranged to have it delivered – thanks MOM! It was perfect that we had it a day early because tomorrow we will be gone all day at Niagara Falls – yahoo! I have so much energy that I even think I’ll run tomorrow morning… life is so good :)

Day 42 – From Wooster, Ohio to Youngstown, Ohio – 102.5 miles

Today was another great day – Ohio is truly very beautiful… I have been surprised with how pretty it is and I am really enjoying it. We had many hills that I really enjoyed – there were also periods without any hills so it balanced out. The ride today was only 95 miles but I decided to add a few miles to make it a century… one more century to go and then I’ll have done 4 in a row… it’s fun. It gives me something to focus on as the days pass by and I am enjoying that. I rode today with Danny most of the day and a few others here and there. I had a good time. When we got into town, we went to Walmart and then to an ice cream shop for our extra miles (and went over 100 miles… oh well…). Anyway, I met a local couple there who said that this town is basically in existence because of General Motors and some other company that I forget the name of… anyway, I always find it interesting what people do in certain towns. It is kinda crappy town, in my opinion, or at least the roads are the worst I’ve seen yet! Horrible… why don’t they maintain their roads I wonder? They are really bad and often there was no shoulder and we couldn’t ride far enough to the right because there were potholes all over the place… kinda dangerous actually. But we all made it here alive.

We had great weather again today – I guess I can say for sure that our weather angel has been with us – it was a little hotter today but not too hot – super nice.

I have been enjoying the end of the ride and it’s exciting that we are getting close to the end. Oh and I met a couple with a new puppy who was sooo cute – it made my day to get to hold the puppy and eat ice cream – life doesn’t get better than that!

Another great thing is that Charlie, who rode with us from San Francisco to Salt Lake City, Utah is joining us for dinner tonight with his wife, Joyce. They live only 30 miles from here! It is great to see him… Charlie is such a fun guy :)

Thanks to everyone who has been commenting… it is so good to here from you all!

Day 41 – Marysville, Ohio to Wooster, Ohio – 104 miles

Today was another fantastic day – the weather was perfect… not too hot, not too humid – ideal! I rode all day by myself and had a great time! Ohio is an interesting state – there is a lot of agriculture, such as soy beans, corn, and wheat and yet it is absolutely beautiful… instead of being flat, like Kansas, it is rolling with lots of trees and wooded areas surrounding the farms. There are also lots of creeks and small ponds by the homes. There are homes everywhere – they are all well maintained and beautifully landscaped. There are lots of large lawns that all are nicely mowed – they keep them up great – thus I counted about 10 people mowing there lawns today as I rode by. People seem to take pride in having a beautiful home, garden, and surrounding area. Today there were many signs for different outdoor camps off the road – Ohio seems like a great place for outdoorsy adventure type camps.














We ended up having some major hills today, which I really enjoyed. I love the variety and change in scenery as we go through different states and areas. Its so fun.

I do have to borrow a wheel for the rest of my trip because my crappy wheel isn’t gonna work anymore and the bike shop wont replace it until they see it to make sure that I didn’t do anything myself to crack it… oh that would have been a brilliant idea… annoying… anyway, at least our tour leaders have extra wheels for me to borrow until the end of the trip and then I can deal with the bike shop when I get back.

Bob, who got injured awhile back, lives in Wooster, Ohio and joined us for the afternoon and dinner this evening with his wife. It was great to see him! He seems to be doing well but isn’t able to cycle yet – he is still healing up! It was obviously hard for him to not be with us on the trip but I am just happy that he is healing and safe – that is the most important thing!

So, we have now done 2 centuries in a row and the next two days are close to centuries so I am going to ride the extra 5-8 miles in order to have 4 centuries in a row. I also had the BRILLIANT idea of maybe doing an entire week of centuries on our last week of riding but that didn’t go over as well with other riders – especially since we are going through the mountains in Vermont and New York… well, it was just an idea… maybe the mountains won’t be soo bad??? We’ll see!! :)

Day 40 – From Richmond, Indiana to Marysville, Ohio – 106 miles

First of all - I am off on my days - today is day 40 but I am off by a day somehow... I'll figure out how at some point .. but for now...Today was a fantastic day – I hardly even noticed that we did over 100 miles. We crossed into yet another state… we are passing states left and right.. yahoo! We are now in Ohio. I tried to do a headstand at the Ohio sign with Skip but it turned out really bad… so, I decided to put show you my decent photo!

The weather today was very pleasant – in the 70s and not very humid at all. I rode along at a comfortable pace by myself for awhile and then caught up with a large group at the Ohio stateline. I decided to ride back a bit since the large riding groups aren’t my favorite – around 3-4 other people is good… beyond that I feel like its too chaotic to ride in. I ended up meeting up at a bathroom break with Tom, Sue, and Dan and rode with them until I heard a funny sound on my bike… not sure what it was.. I thought I had a flat… but in fact, my back tire wouldn’t move or go anywhere. Sarge was riding by and helped me out but we just learned that I had broken a spoke. So much for that! I called the Sag Wagon and the mechanic, Gerard, came and brought me a spare wheel to ride on until we fix my wheel tonight at mechanics hour. I arrived at the first sag stop significantly behind everyone but Dan was still there talking to his grandfather, who was sagging today. Dan and I rode the rest of the way together… which was very nice. It was Dan’s first century… he joined the trip with his grandfather in St. Joseph, Missouri and this was the first time I had really spoken with him. He is going to be a senior in high school so we talked about his college choices, etc… it was nice to get to know him a bit. He did excellent on his first century – no complaints – like a pro!

We did met up with the other riders at a bakery/lunch stop in St. Helena, Ohio – it was nice to have lunch and catch up with the other riders. We also met the mayor of this town (pictured we me on the right) – his wife owns the shop and he says they do well there. The town is mainly a bedroom community where the residents live but work farther away in the main cities of Ohio. We passed by a lot of homes today and some small towns… we continue to have many cornfields and I even saw some wheat for the first time today. I rode with the other few riders until the second sag stop and spent too long there so Dan and I rode the rest of the way in … Marysville is a nice town so far.

I found out at mechanics hour that my relatively new Specialized tire got a crack in the rim… no more riding that tire for me! Major Bummer! Gerard, our mechanic, is going to let me borrow a wheel while I finish out my ride and then I can return the wheel to Spokeman in Santa Cruz and hopefully it will be covered by my warranty – so that all worked out.
I met a local guy who did the ride with Michelle, our tour leader, and he took George and I to a bike shop about 15 miles down the road… I looked for shorts but they didn’t have what I wanted. He also drove us to dinner and I enjoy a nice dinner talking with him… he has lived here for quite a long time, almost since boyhood, and had a lot of good riding stories too. You never know what a day will hold… so great!

Day 39 - From Indianapolis, Indiana to Richmond, Indiana - 85 miles

Today was fantastic, incredible, amazing... and, uh, exciting! We enjoyed leaving Indianapolis with Skip as our guide since he grew up there until he went to college... he gave us a tour of the houses he grew up in and got us off the main traffic infested route 40. We enjoyed a relatively flat ride with a tailwind - spectacular! I rode part of the day alone and part of the day with Skip. It was exciting because we got to ride through so many towns... the towns are all close together... so thats really nice. We decided to take a detour route through Richmond and enjoyed seeing their beautiful park that had a golf course, a rose garden, and just a windy, beautiful road through.

We met some great local people along the way and were welcomed by the people of Indiana - including Amy, who was at our sag stop at the post office in Dunreith - hello Amy!

Once we arrived at the Holiday Inn in Richmond, Skip and I still had plenty of energy so we went to explore the town of Richmond and to visit the rose garden (oh not so great.. the rose beds need to be adopted!) We talked with some locals and visited the local natural spring with we filled up our water bottles and many people from the town came to get water. We enjoyed seeing the fireman spraying the local kids with the fire hose - I told them they belonged in California where their efforts are needed! We had a great time. We get free access to a local gym so Skip and I are going to take a yoga class there tonight. My favorite thing is to go and explore a new town and so today was sooo much fun! We took funny photos and had a good ole time and rode about an extra 12 miles... nice nice :)

Day 37 - Rest Day in Indianapolis, Indiana - 0 miles

Today was my most rested rest day. I woke up around 6am and spent several hours doing various things SLOWLY - laundry, blogging, organizing photos, and enjoying a nice full breakfast at the hotel with other cyclists. A few cyclists who sagged in yesterday due to the pending weather doom, decided to go into together on a shuttle to the previous town and do the route today - I wished them good luck and good weather. I know the ones who went were excited to go.

So I just enjoyed today - I got a cab to go to a bike shop to get some new bike shorts... I am suppose to have 4 pairs and my SCTA shorts are tearing at the seams... not sure why... but they are pretty new so must be pretty crappy - the bike shop didn't have any great apparel, though their website said they had the most in the city of Indianapolis. They were very nice there and were helpful in explaining why my left hand feels like it isn't working well... they said that happens a lot with long distance cycling and I found a pair of new gloves that might be able to help. My left hand is so weak that its hard to shift... so I hope these gloves help.

After returning to the hotel and grabbing a snack, I went on a personal walking tour of the town of Indianapolis - it is super cute! The monuments are amazing and the walkway, riverwalk, gardens, and museums were enjoyable. This is a great city to go to if you are really into sports - it is home of the NCAA, the Speedway, and several other stadiums that are for some important sport... not sure what cause I am not too into them. I also enjoyed some good conversations with my mom, dad, and friends whom I haven't had a chance to catch up with until today. It was very humid out today so after about 3-4 hour out around town, I came back and enjoyed watching a comedy movie in the personal home theater at the hotel with a nice blanket and big comfy chairs - truly restful I tell ya! Then I headed to the hot tub to read more of a great book I am reading... so nice.

Now I am headed off to a reception at the hotel - some wine and italian food with some fellow riders' company - a great way to spend a rest day! I feel ready to begin my adventure again tomorrow... continuing my tour of the country... and now the East Coast... by bike (in case you didn't know... hahaha!).

Day 36 - From Crawfordsville, Indiana to Indianapolis, Indiana - 66 miles

Today was quite an eventful day! We awoke in the morning to loud thunder and lightening - it was clear that no one was biking anywhere. So, our leaders drove us to breakfast about 2 miles down the street and then after breakfast we all waited to hear any news. The leaders gave us a choice - we could either sag into Indianapolis and not ride today or we could wait it out and see what happened with the weather. The forecast was rain, lightening, and thunder coming through in waves throughout the day. So, half the group decided to sag and the other half decided to wait. I, of course, decided to wait - I'd ride unless they told me I couldn't. So, the sag vans took half the group to Indianapolis while the rest of us waited for more news. Some of us slept (see picture of Kip), some of us read the newspaper, and others of us just chatted and acted crazy (me!).

About 9:30am, it had been clear for about an hour and Skip talked to our tour leaders and got permission to ride over to Wabash College (about 3 miles away) - it is one of only two men only colleges still in existence (so, this is where to meet men!! :). So, Skip, Fred, Jose, and myself rode over there and took an informal tour - from Skip and Fred who both graduated from there in the 60s. We were there for about an hour and Fred got to see two of his fraternity brothers who now work there. It was quite pleasant and was much better than sitting around the hotel.

So, our sag vans got lost on their way to Indianapolis and by 10:30am, they still weren't there yet - so our leaders told us we could go ahead and start the ride since it was nice and clear out. No thunder or lightening in site. I called the hotel and talked to Michelle, our tour leader, who explained that we could leave from Wabash College, so the four of us headed up the road for a short 66 mile ride.

We had many sites to see today - first, the Roark Bike Factory, which was only 35 miles up the road. At this bike factory, they custom make titanium bikes - we took a short tour. I wasn't too impressed, to be honest. It is basically a big welding plant and they do SOME bikes - ranging in price between $9,000 and 16,000 - definitely out of my price range! The majority of the plant makes other things for other companies - like stuff for the military - I don't even know what it all was and I didn't really care... moving right along...

We rode through Eagle Creek Park, very pretty, and then went onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - super cool! All the time, we were waiting for another rainstorm or thunderstorm but it was nice out... very nice out. The Speedway was really big... impressive! We got a lot of information from Skip on Indianapolis, since he lived here lots of his life. That was nice!

Then we went onto the Major Taylor Velodrome. I'd never seen a Velodrome ... it is where cyclists race ... and we were welcomed with a nice sign! I watched a cycling clinic going on and it was neat to see them racing - interesting.. lots of young people in this clinic...

We followed the waterway into our hotel - it was beautiful! There is a riverwalk area that reminded me of San Antonio, Texas's riverwalk. I might take a boat ride through there on my day off. The hotel we were suppose to stay at was a Comfort Inn but it wasn't built in time for our arrival so we got to stay at Staybridge Suites - which is an amazing hotel with huge suite rooms, free laundry, exercise facility, nice pool, amazing breakfast and cocktail hour. Divine! It much needed for two nights and a rest day.

We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and I enjoyed a much needed glass of wine. Though the day was excited, it also tried my patience to HAVE to ride in a group the whole day due to the pending weather doom... but it was beautiful and I was excited I decided to ride. Our rest day is suppose to be another thunder and lightening storm but it is blue skies and looks like a nice day (I am writing this on my rest day and it is sunny, sunny, and sunny)! I am excited to have a day of rest in this beautiful hotel right next to downtown Indianapolis... yahoo!

Publishing/comments note: I didn't know how to change the dates of my post, so blogspot automatically puts the date that I write the post as the actually date - I just figured out how to change it, so I'll be sure to keep the days accurate from now on and will change the other ones- sorry for any confusion to anyone (thanks for asking about it though, Lawrence!). Also, I get emailed all comments to me, regardless of where you post them... so feel free to comment wherever you'd like and I'll receive notice of the comment! Thanks for all your commenting... it helps so much to hear from you all and to know you are out there following along as I pedal, pedal, pedal, and pedal some more!

Day 35 – From Springfield, Illinois to Crawfordsville, Indiana – 82 miles

Today was just lovely! I felt like I had a renewed spirit after visiting with Sarah yesterday. The weather today was very nice – cool and not too hot. We entered another state, Indiana, wow – we are moving along quick! We also entered the last time zone – Eastern Time! I enjoyed the shorter day of 82 miles and look forward to an even shorter day tomorrow and then our rest day. I am ready for a day of rest. It was relatively flat today without much wind so it went fast.

I was aware that today is my sister, Asha’s, birthday – she passed away about 10 years ago and would be 29 today. It was ironic that we passed by soooo many cemeteries today – too many to count! Well, I am aware of her absent often and felt myself living today as fully as possible in honor of her – since she can’t be here to do things like this herself… granted, she never would ride across the country and is probably looking down from heaven and wonder what got into me! HAHAHA!

Another thing that we see a lot of here is people mowing their lawns… lots of lawns and lots of need for mowing them. I need to start keeping count of how many people we pass mowing their lawns everyday…. I think maybe about 20 – it feels like a lot! And as I passed one town in Indiana, a father and his sons were using their lawn mowers as a mode of transportation… that works!

Cornfields, Cornfields, and more cornfields. I just had to jump in! And so did the America by Bike (ABB) van – you can’t avoid ‘em! Today was another long day with another great end! I rode in a fast paceline for the first 30 miles and then went off on my own since it takes a lot of mental energy to ride in a paceline and I just didn’t have it in me. I also stop more often to go to the bathroom so then I have to ride really fast to catch up and I did that twice and then was over trying so hard – we had a long day to go! I was excited to get to Champaign because Sarah Levar, my best friend and roommate for 3 years from college, was meeting me there – I felt like it was too long since we have seen each other and I couldn’t wait.

I had some more tears of exhaustion as I rode to the second sag stop, which was appropriately placed at a cemetery. I sat under the tree and thought I might never get up. Forrest commented “Audrey if you don’t move, they’ll have to bury you here!” I said to him “Okay, can I let you know what I want on my tombstone?” Anyway, it was a hard day just because we are ALL so tired. That was the general talk amongst the riders and even our top notch rider, George, ended up taking an easy and riding with us (he NEVER has taken an easy yet… so that says a lot). I now know why it is called a Cross Country CHALLENGE – it is all a mental challenge right now.

At the second sag stop, I got to ride with Skip for the rest of the way, which was exactly what I needed! He is such a great guy. We rode an easy pace and the roads were rather flat with a slight small headwind – not too bad! I enjoyed his company and he has ridden across country before (a different route) and I was asking for advice on how to get through this part where you just want to not get up and ride and he said to focus on other fun things in the town or in the day that don’t involve the riding – great advice! So, that’s what I am going to start to do. The riding is really only one aspect of this great adventure – and the one aspect I am not loving right now… so there are other things to have fun doing. My butt has finally fully revolted and broke out in a complete diaper rash! Ugh J

One of our riders, Rob, fell yesterday and broke his collarbone and has to go home. He had dinner with us all last night, which was nice, so we could say goodbye. It was really sad because his girlfriend, Terry, just joined us on the trip to go the whole way and it was her first day riding with him. Biking can be a dangerous sport but I am glad it wasn’t too serious and that he didn’t hit his head – he seemed in good spirits last night, though it is never fun to have to go home.

Oh, and the Illinois people aren’t too fond of cyclists on their roads. We had a clear example of this when Skip got CHEWED out by a woman riding by – we weren’t even doing anything wrong… she was so angry like we had killed her daughter or something – it was incredible! Skip just listened to her yell and yell and yell about the trackers that use this road and the children who are around here (it was a deserted road with hardly any homes… I was thinking… what? Children of the corn? Hahaha! She was crazy!). Anyway, Skip patiently listened to her for awhile and when she was finally finished, he calmly said “you are a very angry woman!” – She speed away really fast – hysterical!

It was sooo fun to see Sarah! We can chat non-stop for hours and its like no time has passed. I wish I had gotten a photo and brought my camera with us but forgot. I was so just enjoying talking to her. I was up past my bedtime (til 9:30) but it was well worth it! I feel so blessed to have a friend like her and a friend I’ll have my whole life. She is training for her first marathon, the Chicago Marathon, which she is doing this October 12th in honor of her Oct. 22nd birthday of 26 years – 26 miles for 26 years! Very clever! Her mom is joining her too – right on! I am very proud and wish I could be there. We also stopped by the store to get me some diaper rash stuff, a new cell phone charger (yippee!), and other various items… it was such a nice visit!

Day 33 – From Quincy, Illinois to Springfield, Illinois – 106 miles

I got the blues DANANANANA the 4th of July holiday homesick blues DANANANANA the very exhausted blues DANANANANA the 106 miles too long blues DANANANANA the riding day blues DANANANANA the cornfields nonstop for three states blues DANANANANA the weather angel abandonment blues DANANANANA the ‘I would rather be hitchhiking’ blues DANANANANA the crying for miles knowing you have 60 miles more to go blues DANANANANA the I can’t find a damn postcard in Illinois blues DANANANANA the I have to pee and can’t find a place to go blues DANANANANA the hungry but nothing sounds good to eat blues DANANANANA the I want to throw my bike in the cornfield blues DANANANANA the I miss the ocean blues DANANANANA the headwind blues DANANANANA the my hotel room sticks blues DANANANANA and I stick too blues DANANANANA the my cell phone died and I don't have a charger blues DANANANANA

Okay, so today wasn’t that bad but I started out tired and knew I had 106 miles left to go. I rode alone all day at my own pace and my goal was to be in in less than 7 hours… I was not going to be out as long as yesterday… mentally I just couldn’t do it! So, I speed along at a nice pace and at about mile 25, I missed home and then just started to cry. I was so tired. The tears lasted on and off until about mile 70 and then I started to feel better. I sang the blues to myself and had myself laughing! I also learned to whistle! I never knew how to whistle but I got rather good at it --- I never knew that it all has to do with the way you put your lips... oh the things you learn while you ride! I had a nice pace going today and the weather was rather nice. It was cool out (70s and 80s) and not too humid. Also, the hills started to level out and we had some flat land… which my legs appreciated.

Today we had a contest going on – the one best dressed for the 4th of July got some reward. So, we had a few takers on the contest with nice outfits (see photos). We arrived in Springfield, Illinois – the home of Abraham Lincoln - there are many signs and historical places based on him – the town isn’t all that nice but there seems to be some major celebration for the 4th of July that they are setting up near the Capitol building. While at Walgreen’s, where I FINALLY found postcards to send to my niece and nephew (I haven’t been able to find them in any of the last few towns), I got asked out to the 4th of July festivals by a nice looking young man – I told him I wasn’t from here and needed to bed early since I have a century ride to do again tomorrow. He said he should move to California…. Hahaha… or this should happen in California – I never get asked out at the drug store! Go figure :)

I just found out at route rap (where I am right now) that today was Skip’s birthday! We’ll have to do something special for him at dinner. It is also Wayne and Al’s birthday too… three riders have birthdays on the 4th of July – very special :) It made my day to enjoy dinner with Skip for his birthday and then some cake afterwards (see funny video of Skip - he is hysterical!). Wayne's wife came all the way from Wales to surprise him for his birthday and brought two cakes for all the birthdays, along with some cupcakes - yum yum!

Day 32 - From Kirksville, MO to Quincy, IL - 87 miles

Today we officially buried our weather angel… what a great companion and a sad goodbye! The goodbye was noticeable by the raingear clothing we all wore this morning – George, pictured right, really hates the rain and I think he might believe he will melt away if a drop hits his skin… so sealed he is! We had on raingear for the first 20 miles or so and then the rain stopped and by the first sag stop, I was able to take my rain jacket off. By this point, my feet were already soaked but the air was cool and nice out. It never hit above about 77 degrees today – very very nice! So, the weather wasn’t THAT bad. We do look forward to our weather angel's resurrection, when she decides to come back!

However, today was a tough day and exhausting. It took me over 6 hours and 30 minutes to ride only 87 miles – not sure what took so long – lots of hills and lots of wind. Today was a hard day for many people. When I got in, I just jumped in bed and didn’t move for an hour – I woke up refreshed but can’t believe we have a century (106 miles) to do tomorrow – hopefully, it won’t be as hard as today. Regardless, it is always nice to be out everyday on my bike exploring the country… even when its hard!

We entered another state, Illinois, and said goodbye to Missouri. We weren’t in Missouri for very long and I feel like the days are going so quick. I almost want them to slow down just so I can make sure to take it all on before it is over. I feel so blessed to be able to do this ride. We had to sag over the Mississippi River today for safety reasons… I was going to swim but it was cold out J

Day 32 – From Chillicothe, Missouri to Kirksville, Missouri – 81 miles

Thanks for all the comments from everyone that I got to read today – it is always great to hear from you all and know that you are following along! This is quite the journey and I love hearing from home, friends, and family… now onto today…

What happened to our weather angel? As we started out today on our ride, we had some small raindrops that accompanied us. We heard thunder in the distance and I saw lightening four times – granted, the lightening looked far away but I learned later that lightening can strike up to 25 miles (or more) away – it could have been closer than 25 miles… thus our meteorologist, Greg, was in the sag wagon avoiding the danger… while I was enjoying myself . . . naivety is bliss! The rain drops were very nice since it was quite humid today… we guessed it was 100% but I am not sure how accurate we are. I didn’t get any photos today since my camera was nicely packed in a plastic bag to avoid any water. I still think our weather angel is with us and was just keeping us nice and cool today with a little rain drops.

We had an eventful day – I rode with John, Amy, and Sue again – we ride very similar speeds so it is easy to stay riding together. The road today involved many ups and downs… it was like a rollercoaster ride and pretty fun! We climbed over 4000 feet but only gained a total of 200 feet in elevation… just up and down and up and down and up and down. It was like doing interval training all day… great workout and exhausting! We saw much evidence of the flooding – one of the roads we were on looked like it had been flooded, another road was close to being completely covered in water, and many fields were like mini lakes. It should be interesting to see the Mississippi tomorrow – more rain is expected – I hear even hail --- aww, well… it makes it a fun adventure!!

The biggest thing that happened today was that our second sag stop wasn’t there – it was suppose to be at mile 51 but at mile 55 we all stopped and decided to ride a few more miles and then call the sag van. Great idea but neither of the sag vans had cell phone reception so that didn’t work. About mile 65 or so, the sag wagon came by and said that we had beat them to the second sag stop so they didn’t have one… everyone had gotten there before they did – not sure how that happened but I was glad to hear that no one was hurt… since I thought that might be way the sag wasn’t there. Michelle and Christine, our tour leaders, passed by later with PB&J sandwiches they made and gave to us through the car window – how nice! It was a great treat and felt extra special that they took the effort to make them for us.

We got in today before 1pm and I had time to read and completely clean my bike and use the nice “Bike Lust” purchased for me by Sister Denise (thank you!) to polish and buff my bike – it looks awesome!!! J I am getting better at cleaning my bike each time. There isn’t much in Kirksville so the rest of the afternoon and evening was just spent hanging out and chatting with everyone. This is the life I tell ya! I love it ;)

Day 31 – From St. Joseph, MO to Chillicothe, MO – 92 miles

Today was another rolly day through Missouri – lots of ups and downs! We went through Amish country in Jamesport, MO. We saw many horses and buggies and even stopped in to get pie at an Amish bakery and to look at the quilts at an Amish shop. I learned that the Amish’s first language is German and they don’t learn English until they enter school. I had no idea! I asked if someone who isn’t Amish can enter the Amish community and they said yes, they are an open community. I am fascinated by these communities and would love to spend a week there and see what its like.

Our group enjoyed the cookies Sister Audrey made for us and told me over and over again how much they liked them – they were all gone at the first Sag Stop… almost everyone got at least one! I missed my mom today, after spending time with her, but also have a great group here, so that helps! I enjoyed riding today with John, Amy, and Sue and also rode with other people periodically throughout the day.

We saw the beginning of the flooding as we got closer to Chillicothe today (picture on the left is a flooded field). We’ll see how things go for us as we get closer to the Mississippi River.

Four new people joined our ride today – a grandfather and grandson pair and another pair who are riding a tandem. I haven’t gotten to know any of them yet but hopefully I will at dinner tonight.

I am beat and hopefully will get a nap before the route rap tonight. I am also doing laundry since I didn’t get a chance on my rest day and it is much needed! My bike also needs cleaning but its not going to happen today.

Day 30 - Rest Day in St. Joseph, Missouri

This was the most incredible rest day I have experienced! I got to go with my mom to Clyde, Missouri to stay at the guest house of the monastery (use to be called a convent but now they call it a monastery) where she lived from 19-26 years old. I got to spend time with my namesake, Sister Mary Audrey. The guest house was lovely – with a large room for both myself and my mom and a large living area and kitchen. You could tell the kindness that was put into preparing the place for us – we had fresh linens, homemade soaps, a kitchen stocked with food, and a nice welcome sign – they live by the words of St. Benedict “Let All Guests Be Welcomed As Christ” and I found this message on the walls of buildings and on signs throughout the monastery. Sister Audrey even made me a bunch of really great cookies that I look forward to sharing with my fellow riders at the first sag stop today.

I woke up early on my rest day and spent from 5:30am until about 11:30am with my mom in the guest house just chatting and catching up. I feel blessed to have a mother that is also a great friend. We joined Sister Mary Audrey for prayer time before lunch and then joined all the sisters for lunch. I had lunch with my mom, Sister Audrey, Sister Denise, and Sister Nancy. I was also introduced to all the sisters at lunch and felt warmly welcomed. It was a pleasure to get to spend time and talk with them. Sister Audrey and Sister Denise have known me before I was born and have visited me as a child and I have visited them with my mom as a child. I don’t remember these visits but I know they have been praying for me throughout my life. It was truly a pleasure to spend time with these sisters, who are near and dear my heart. Sister Denise was such a kind woman and I look forward to seeing them again in the near future (she says we have to visit more often… which I intend to do). Sister Nancy is a cyclist also and had done many cycle trips before joining the monastery and Sister Becky was also a cyclist and came over after lunch to chat with us. It was very nice. I felt right at home.

Sister Audrey took me on tours throughout the area. The monastery supports itself by making Altar Breads – 9 million PER MONTH! I got an inside tour of how these altar breads are made – lots of hands at work and custom made machinery. They also make custom soaps and lotions, which I also enjoyed the touring this area. Sister Audrey knows so much about the history of the different buildings and how things have changed over the years. It was fascinating to me and to my mom, who noted how different things are now from when she was there.

Sister Audrey also toured me around the local Abbey, where the monks and a seminary school are located. It was beautiful! We went to their bookshop and got to see their newly renovated Basilica – breathtaking! I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and willingness to take me on the tours of various things. I also asked a lot about how Sister Audrey’s convent operates and it was very interesting. I feel that today was filled with a lot of love and knowledge. I feel renovated and ready to continue my ride – I know I have a lot of people praying for me and rooting me on!

Day 29 – From Topeka, Kansas to St. Joseph, MO – 92 miles

Today was a phenomenal day – first of all, we got to leave Kansas – so that alone made it a great day! We rode through Atchison, Kansas, the birthplace of Amelia Earhart, where the Amelia Earhart Century Ride was going on. There were about 250 riders registered and I had a great time talking to the local folks. Some of the volunteers were telling me a little about the history of Atchison. First of all, I learned that they hated Western Kansas as much as all the rest of us and have had the discussion amongst themselves about selling it to Mexico. I told them Eastern Kansas should just join Missouri and all four of them almost fell out of their chairs! It was like I just told them their mother died! So, they went on to tell me that they don’t like Missouri and there has been a civil war between themselves and Missouri for years and years and it is still going on (now through college sports!). Atchison was named for a senator in Missouri who was one of the largest slave owners and moved to Atchison to make Kansas a slave state. The local folks still resent it – okay, I get it, now!

Before I left Kansas, I decided to take one last picture of the lovely grain elevators, which truly are the Kansas Skyscrapers! When I backpacked across Northern Spain, I always knew I was entering a town because I could see the Catholic Church in the distance. But in Kansas, I always knew we were entering ANOTHER town because you could see the grain elevator in the distance. I sent my niece, Adrianna, a postcard of the Kansas Skyscrapers. Definitely one thing Kansas is known for… both in the East and in the West!

We rode over the Missouri river, truly beautiful, and entered Missouri. I really wanted to hang upside down over the sign but the sign was too high. So, I had a brilliant idea of doing a handstand next to the sign! I asked John to help me get my legs in the air and he asked if I have ever done a headstand – I told him maybe twice in my life… oh, this would be interesting! He was able to help me but I wasn’t very successful… I think maybe YOGA will be on my list for when I get back! I needed some help here J So, I finally resigned and got a upright photo of myself and Missouri. Home sweet home!

I arrived in St. Joseph, much later than I expected, due to the headwinds, sidewinds, and many many rolling hills! Missouri SHOWED US as we entered (the Show Me State Missouri) – it was blowing us back to Kansas, but we refused to go – though we entered St. Joseph’s much later than expected… the ride took only 30 minutes less than yesterday and it was 17 miles shorter! I arrived to be greeted by my mom and Sister Mary Audrey – so pleasant! We had a great dinner together and I enjoyed spending time with them. I recognized Sister Mary Audrey right away – she hasn't changed at all. I went back with them to Clyde , Missouri, where my mom and I are staying at the convent’s guesthouse. It is very nice here! I learned more about the convent last night and how it operates – very interesting. I will be spending my rest day here.

Day 28 From Abilene, Kansas to Topeka, Kansas – 109 miles

Today was finally a phenomenal day! The weather was cool (though humid) due to the pending the rainstorms, which never occurred. I don’t think it got over 85 degrees all day and was even in the 70s in the early morning. It was very humid, so wearing as little as possible is still the way to go! I rode with Gary and Jeff (who is our trip’s comedian) most of the morning and we had some songs going – songs from the play, Rent, and Jeff began singing the Blues – “Riding my bike… danananana (which was my part)….” – we had a great time! I met up with another group at the sag stop and went with them the rest of the way. It was fun to be riding with a group at a comfortable pace. Today there were lots of rolling hills – up and down, up and down, up and down (pictured very well here) – and it was super nice to have some variety. And the scenery was gorgeous… yes, that’s right folks… gorgeous in Kansas! It was like we entered Missouri two days early. At our lunch stop (by a nice lake and the only restaurant on the route), some locals said that people from Eastern Kansas don’t go to Western Kansas… they despise it as much as we do! Nice to know ... I could actually live in this part of Kansas… there were many lakes, nice green rolling hills, and it was just beautiful! Also, everything is within a short drive to Topeka, the Capitol of Kansas… you have the best of both worlds – the beauty of the country within a short drive to the benefits of a city. And there isn't all the industry in Eastern Kansas like in Western Kansas . . . I think it should be two different states! Or Eastern Kansas can join Missouri and we can get rid of Western Kansas all together (granted, we might still want the food they produce... so, we'll just not vacation there!)

Today was the longest ridingTIME day we have had yet (and I was wishing my legs were fresher… maybe that run wasn’t the BEST idea in the world yesterday… though very nice indeed)! I didn’t get into the hotel until almost 4pm and though I would love to see the town of Topeka… I am exhausted. I guess there is always another time to see it – we’ll ride through it on the way out tomorrow, hopefully. I am eager to have dinner and go to bed early. I am looking forward to seeing my mom tomorrow in St. Joseph’s, Missouri and then having a rest day there. Missouri here I come… right back to where I started from (for those of you who don’t know, I was born in Missouri!)

Day 27 – From McPherson, Kansas to Abilene, Kansas – 63 miles

Last night it stormed and stormed and stormed. It still looked stormy when I walked out of my hotel room this morning – uh oh! I asked our tour leader, Andy, “what happened to our weather angel? It left us mid-way through the ride?!?” I would be eating those words later because it cleared up during breakfast and it was much cooler out (in the 80s instead of the 90s and 100s) and we had a tail wind! WOWZERS! I ended up deciding that I don’t like riding all alone so I decided to speed up a little and surprised myself with how fast I can really go when I want to (I started out later than everyone because I had a hotel flat… flat #2). I also had one goal today (besides riding) – do laundry! My stuff stinks and I don’t have any clean socks or underwear – so I was first to get my laundry in – goal accomplished! I forgot – today was the half way point for the ride – YIPEE! We were all very excited about that and got some great photos.

The scenery has changed a lot too – it is definitely getting prettier as we head East. John stated in his blog “So, why has the US decided to KEEP Kansas? I am sure someone could take it off our hands”, which I agreed with completely and thought was hysterical. But after today, I think there might be some redeeming value to this state. There were more rolling hills… lots of green and rivers and we road on a nice country road most of the way – very lovely!

I arrived in Abilene with plenty of energy. I did laundry and had a great talk with my friend, Michelle. Unfortunately my phone died and then I realized I don’t have a charger – I must have left it in a hotel – I think I get the prize for the most items left in a hotel – so far I’ve left my IPOD, a book, and now my cell phone charger! GEEZ LOUSIZE! I also went for a 6 mile run through the town – saw some pretty sights – this is a relatively nice town. I wish I had had my camera to take photos. This is the home of the Greyhound, the dog, and there are greyhound places everywhere that house them… similar to a horse stable but smaller. There were also trucks that look like the trucks that transport cows to the slaughter but they are smaller… I think they are for the greyhounds to go to the racetrack… maybe!

Day 26 – From Great Bend, Kansas to McPherson, Kansas – 65 miles

Today was a great day! We finally had some rolling hills, though small, which I appreciated since I could finally shift a little! I rode by myself today – taking breaks in towns and talking to locals – it was a short day and I knew I had plenty of time. Despite all my breaks, I was still in by 12 noon and heard there was a water park in this town and it was only about a little over a mile away! I perked up and was excited to go and so was Skip so 30 minutes later, we headed to the water park on our bikes with glee in our eyes! The waterpark was amazing – lap swimming (I got in a few laps – it was a 50m pool!), huge slide, lazy pool, diving board, lots of places to lay out in the shade – we spent the whole afternoon there, enjoying the cool water, the only local hangout, and just chatting and relaxing by the pool. We also discussed other riding trips we want to do so we hope to get that organized on this trip – a trip down the Cali coast and a trip through Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon – two trips I won’t miss! I couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was just what a needed – something different with some great company! You can see from my tan lines that there is a lot of sun out here! It is HOT HOT HOT!

Day 25 - Dodge City to Grent Bend, Kansas - 85 miles

Today was soooo easy - the road was about as flat as a pancake, we had a soft wind at our backs, and the scenary hasn't changed so much. We hit the USA midway point, though the midway point for our ride isn't until tomorrow. I rode with Tom most of the day, which was really nice since I have been riding alone too much to my liking lately, and it was nice to have a good conversation as we were riding. My spirits are lifting back up (felt a little sad and homesick for a few days) and I am feeling greatful again that I get to ride everyday... even if its through Kansas! It's neat to see how different parts of the country can be!

I am excited to see my mom in a few days, who is coming into St. Joseph, Missouri. She is leaving tomorrow and I'll get to see her on Sunday. That will be nice.

One of my fellow riders, John, has a shirt he bought here that says "Dear Dorothy - Hate Oz, Took the Shoes, Find your Own Way Home - Toto" - I love it!

Dodge City Miss Kitty's

So I guess there are things to do in Kansas - there was an awesome show last night at Miss Kitty's - an old town that "took you back in time" - it was super fun! It was a night filled with lots of laughs. It started out with the car ride there with funny jokes from Sarge (see the video.. he is sooo funny!) and then a gunfight outside the saloon, followed by the show. It was a great end to a not so great day yesterday. Enjoy all the photos and the video.

Day 24 - From Garden City, Kansas to Dodge City, Kansas - 52 miles

Today is the shortest day of the whole trip, which was nice on my legs but I would be fine flying through good ole Kansas and getting the hell out of here! The state STINKS from all the cow feeding lots and the trucks that transport the cows to their death. Missouri here we come! Kansas' idea of an "overlook", which I interpretated as a nice scenary spot, is a cow feed lot - well, I guess that is Kansas' scenary! We are riding along the Santa Fe Trail, which has a lot of history to it, including the killing of many indians on their homeland... oh, you can see my mood today!

We arrived in Dodge City, which is a country western town that is losing its country feeling (lots of the places are falling down) but there is a little still there for tourists. We are going to some show tonight, which hopefully we give us that Country Feeling and maybe some love for Kansas?!?

I was SUPER homesick today and had a lot of tears but made my ticket to go home the day after the ride ends and I look forward to being back in Cali. Don't get me wrong - I still love waking up every day and riding and having fun exploring our country, but I think after over 24 days on the road, I am ready to see home and my friends and family. It will be nice to see my mom in Missouri and to get out of Kansas - that will help, I'm sure.

So, as I ride along Kansas, I think to myself "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" and so should the homesickness. Love to you all and please comment if you read this. I'd love to hear from home and friends.

Day 23 - From Lamar, Colorado to Garden City, Kansas - 104 miles

We have arrived - in Kansas, that is! And strange things happen in Kansas, according to Skip (such as bicycles growing on trees?). I guess we have a lot to look forward to in this state... strange things... not scenary! Today was another long ride - 104 miles and it took every inch of me and my dear butt (which I think officially hates me now~ :) I am feeling stronger and stronger with every mile - I did feel kinda quesy after some soft serve Dairy Queen, so I am still needing to take an easy on my stomach - plain pastas, plain bread, crackers. The last 25 miles had some headwinds and sidewinds, which were not very appreciated, though dealt with! We left early this morning at 6:30am in order to finish our ride before the thunderstorms hit Garden City around 3pm or so. It is already 3:30 and no thunderstorms to be seen or rain for that matter.... oh well... its always good to get an early start and hear the rosters crowing as you ride :)

So, instead of racing George (our fastest rider... I think he is in by noon or 11am everyday!), I decided to race some cows across their field! It was really funny... I was with John and Amy riding along and a group of about 10 cows came running toward the fence - I screamed "I'll race ya!" And the cows came running along the fence as if we were racing... we left them in the dust (granted we were on bikes and they were running) but it made me feel good to leave SOMEONE in the dust... I guess that is what you do for fun in Kansas :)

As I crossed yet another farm, field, factory, cows, and small small towns, I was thinking about how so much of the food we eat is made and processed in places like Kansas and yet I have no idea what actually happens - I feel quite naive. As I see all the equipment on the fields and see plants, like the Tyson plant, and the many many cow feed lots, I wonder what happens in the life of a farmer, the cows, the corn, and how the food we eat gets to the table. I have a real interest in farming - not enough to be a farmer (well, there is a career idea :) but interested probably because it effects my daily life and yet I know nothing. Maybe I could marry a farmer and live in Kansas - OR NOT!

It was a pleasure to get in this afternoon and have so many comments from family and friends! I have been feeling especially home sick today and missing people, so thank you for commenting! I could just be so worn out that I miss home or maybe "There is No Place Like Home" is ringing in my ears as I pass by another corn field or farm and is getting to me! Or maybe it's the time change... we did enter the Central Time Zone today, though its only an hour in time difference (our second time change as we cross across the country.. one more time zone to go! :)

Please everyone keep our dear friend, Bob, in your thoughts and prayers, as he continues at the hospital in Pueblo. We miss him on the trip here and are all eager to hear good news of his quick recovery. I am so thankful that he is doing better and would appreciate you all thinking of him and his family during this time.

Day 22 - From Pueblo, Colorado to Lamar, Colorado - 121 miles

We aren't in Colorado anymore, are we, Toto? Oh yes, I am surprised to say that we are! You wouldn't guess it by the scenary or the smells - flat lands, no mountains to be seen in the distance, cows and more cows, horses, livestock everywhere, livestock auction houses, fields of corn and soy, lots of roadkill, and extremely hot! This ride really took my breath away - not the scenary but the cow crap smell! OH GOSH!

Today was quite the eventful day. We were setting off on our longest day of the whole ride - 121 miles. I started out with a hearty breatfast which didn't settle well with my still fragile stomach. For the first 20-30 miles, I felt weak and a little underwell... but as the day went on and my breakfast settled, I started to feel better. I decided to stick with plain foods for the next few days until my stomach is doing well and I can vary my diet more. After about 40-50 miles, I felt strong as ever and back to my old riding self! There was some excitement in the air - partially because we were all so happy to be back on our bikes after a rest day and partially because there was probably some nerves due to the long mileage. We had many flats by the first sag stop (none were mine) since the shoulder on the road today wasn't too great. We even had two tires blow while the bikes were leaned against the fence at the first sag stop (see the video of Rick being told he has a flat that happened while he was in the store... funny...).

Onto more eventful things... first of all, whenever I see a police car with sirens or an ambulance, I always pray that it isn't one of our riders down in front of me or behind me. Today, the road was quiet at 8am on a Sunday and I saw an ambulance come flying by me - I thought "uh-oh" and unfortunately one of our riders, Bob, was in the ambulance heading to the hospital. No one is quite sure what happened... he was riding along with a riding buddy and he fell over on his bike and wasn't conscience. According to the doctors, he can't continue on the ride for now and I hope that everything is okay and that he'll be on the mend before he knows it. We should have more news about him as the day progresses.

Speaking of men down, we have lost many riders so far - some planned, some unplanned. We had our 7 riders leave in Pueblo who were doing the journey from Salt Lake City to Pueblo and they will all be missed! The father and son team, John and David, left the day before Pueblo and we didn't have a chance to say goodbye - they were suppose to leave in Pueblo but David came down with the same sickness that has gone around and so they left a day earlier. Gary, who lives in the Bay Area, decided to go home in Pueblo, instead of finish the ride - he was just done riding - I don't quite get it since I am having a fabulous time but I guess each person has a different reason for being here and is on a different journey. And now Bob is gone. We have added ONE new rider, Greg, who will stay with us until Indiana. I haven't really met him yet but will maybe get to know him tonight. The absence of many riders was noticed today on the road.

We arrived in Lamar, Colorado - home of the Santa Fe Trail, after 7 hours of riding time. We had some sidewinds and headwinds, which were actually great since it was so dang hot! Our hotel tonight could be described as a warehouse converted into a hotel jungle. Actually, it is an old cow auction place... interesting... I hear interesting hotels are expected throughout Kansas... and onto Kansas we go tomorrow - we got a nice introduction today (I think maybe they should change the border between Colorado and Kansas and make this part of Colorado into Kansas... it definitely fit the Kansas sterotype of scenary!) By the way, there are even Kansas postcards in this town!

Day 21 - Rest Day in Pueblo, Colorado

Today was a scheduled rest day in Pueblo, Colorado and was much needed. I woke up dizzy and lightheaded - probably a bit dehydrated but was also hungry, which was a good sign. I had a nice breakfast of a plain bagel and oatmeal, which agreed with my stomach well. I went across the street to Walmart to get some Propel to rehydrate and also got a new piece of luggage since mine is falling apart (duct-tape only works so well). About 1pm, I started to feel close to 100% again. I watched some Lifetime movies in the hotel and cleaned my bike thoroughly (it looks like new). I also had the pleasure of catching up with some dear friends on the phone. I have a room to myself for the last time tonight. I am going to get a good nights rest and be ready for our 120 plus mileage day tomorrow and last day in Colorado.

So I will take it slow tomorrow - I can always go to Sarge's daycare - okay, Sarge's daycare has become somewhat of a joke here in our group. Sarge is from Trinidad and will leave no man behind! He has a following of about 4 or so other riders who are "slower" and/or less experienced. He watches over them, makes sure they drink and eat, and they even have songs they make up as they ride - they might even have a nap time but I am not sure since I haven't ever been in Sarge's daycare. The joke is that Deb drops her husband, Gary, off at Sarge's daycare to take care of him for the day while she rides a MUCH faster pace. Deb is a very strong rider and Gary is a brand new rider so Sarge's daycare takes good care of Gary and anyone else who wants to join their crew - the sick, the injured, or those needing a little humor and song to get them through the day! Whatever you need - Sarge's daycare will provide it and I know they will be there for me tomorrow if I need them! Oh and Sarge always says "THE MOOSE IS LOOSE!" - Not sure what that is about but in the photo is Sarge and Steve, who are the Core of Sarge's daycare!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and good thoughts - I am healing up and looking forward to riding on my bike tomorrow - my legs are wondering why I haven't riden in 2 days!! :)

Day 20 - Sick Day in Pueblo, Colorado

Well I did want to be better this morning but didn't have the energy to even get dressed, nevertheless, to ride. So, I took the day off. Of all the days to get sick, this was a good day. Normally, if you are sick, you hang out in the Sag Wagon for the day, until mid-afternoon, when the vans get to the hotel. Today, there were 4 of us out sick and several sickies were back to riding - they drove us straight from the hotel to the next hotel and my room was ready so I was back in bed by 9:30am. Truly great! I was able to sleep most of today and will continue to sleep the rest of the day. I have been able to keep all my food down, though only mild breads or crackers work in my stomach - everything else isn't appetizing. I am not hungry yet but am nibbling on a few things in order to give myself some energy to recover. Luckily, tomorrow is a rest day so I can sleep all day and hopefully be well in time for riding out of Pueblo. I am in pretty good spirits, given that I wanted to ride every fantastic inch and now I won't - however, I am more interested in getting better than riding everything. I have been enjoying getting rest and praying for a speedy recovery and continued good spirits. I am glad that I am one of many who got sick so I dont feel totally alone in the sickness.

So, today wasn't one of my fantastic days with some great recording of scenary and a great ride - instead it was a great day for recovery and rest from illness - so, in that, it was great! And riding will still be there when I get better! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers! Thanks to all of you who have commented and continue to comment - it means more than you know! :)

Day 19 - From Gunnison, Colorado to Salida, Colorado - 66 miles

Up up and away! Today we climbed the highest mountain yet, Monarch pass - I could feel the elevation gain as I climbed. The climb was gradual for 9 miles and then we had a 26 mile downhill all the way to Salida - pretty good trade off I must say (photo right is taken by me of me climbing up the last mile... breathe... breathe... breathe and get any breathe you can up there!). I took my time up the mountain but got in a rhythm and didn't stop - I looked for the snow and headed up to it. It was a nice day - not too hot, not too cold. Unfortunately 5-7 people (not sure how many) were out sick with something - we aren't sure what but they were throwing up and having diarrahea. We are now not allowed to have any food that isn't packaged now at sag stops to eliminate the spread of germs. Today was one of the most beautiful ride days so I felt blessed to feel good and strong.

For those who follow along with my blog religiously, you may be wondering where my blog was last night? Well, I finished the ride at 1:30pm and didn't feel so great. I took a shower and went for a nap. I felt nauceous throughout my nap - I ended up throwing up all afternoon and evening - it was the worst sickness I've felt in a long time and I couldn't even keep down an ounce of water without throwing it up... I was really thirsty and couldn't drink. It was hard to be alone in a room all by myself and be so sick. I called my mom and asked her prayer group to pray for me since I want to ride EVERY FANTASTIC INCH (not miss any of the ride) but based on how I was feeling, I couldn't even get out of my bed, nevertheless walk or get on a bike. Luckily, one of our riders, Rose, is a doctor and she came in and checked in on me several times throughout the evening. I took some Pepto Bismo but couldn't keep it down. She gave me some medicine and she said it would probably help with the naucea and I took it at 9pm and used all my mental power not to throw it up. I ended up keeping it down and it's now about 4am and I feel much better. I am still a little light headed from throwing up all night but I have been drinking Propel (lots of it) and even ate something without any problem. I think I'll be able to ride today - not sure but I'll give it a try if I keep feeling better. The main thing is to get some fluids and food into my body so I am working on that this early morning and taking whatever I can stomach. Send prayers and good thoughts my way that I stay healthy and continue to be healthy! Health is soooo important.

Day 18 - From Montrose, Colorado to Gunnison, Colorado - 63 miles

Welcome to the Rocky Mountains - that is the theme today! We had some AWESOME climbs over some of the Rockies and the scenary was magnificant - we passed by the biggest land of water in Colorado and lots of greenery with some canyons in it.. phemonemal! I feel like almost everyday is just the best... and today tops all other days so far. Absolutely Amazing! I took so many photos but none of them seemed to show the scenary like being in it. Today was also different since we were on the same route as 2,500 other cyclists who are doing the ride, Riding the Rockies - which is a week-long ride of Colorado. It was fun to get to talk to other cyclists and to ride with them... they also had some amazing support along the way with porta potties and stands to buy lunch, ice cream, smoothies, or whatever else you wanted. They had good music playing and an overall good atmosphere. It was fun to ride with them for a day. I must admit, I think I might be getting really into cycling - I was thinking I could bike every state at some point and maybe come back for Riding the Rockies next year... cycling is sooo much fun!

Well, the only bad news for today is that my good friend Skip couldn't join us. He came down with something yesterday and was throwing up all night last night. He looked better at the first sag stop (picture with me on the right) and might be able to ride tomorrow. Tomorrow is suppose to be another tough day over the Rockies so he'll have to see how he feels. His presence was missed today. Oh and one other thing... my butt doesn't stop hurting... according to one of my fellow riders, it will continue to hurt until day 52... isn't that the last day we ride? Guess I might have to ride back to San Fran without a sore butt!! :) :)

The best part of today is that I am feeling magnificant! I feel strong and excited to climb! I love climbing... I'd rather climb a mountain any day than ride flat... it's just sooo fun! So today was my type of day. And a harder climb is coming tomorrow and I can't wait - I know we go over 11,000 feet! YIPEE HURRAY!

Oh and one more thing.... I have a hotel room to myself for 3 nights... super nice! I can take up all the room I want and when I get up at 4am, I can turn on the lights without waking anyone! Who would have known that I would only pay for a triple room and end up with a double the whole and a single for several nights... that is quite the deal!

You can see that I learned to take a photo of myself while I was riding (above) and I am super happy - it took three tries to get my whole face in - not the most flaterring but it works :)

Life is amazingly good....

Day 17 - From Green River, CO to Montrose, Colorado - 73 miles

Today was a really nice day... it wasn't as hot out - about high 80s/low 90s. We had a nice bike path for the first 15 miles along the Colorado River - we all rode in group so we didn't get lost since there were some confusing directions for it. Then we had a headwind for the next 30 miles or so and then had a nice low wind for the last part of the ride, which kept us cool. Since today was a shorter day, we stopped in Delta, Colorado to have a nice lunch at a mom and pop cafe - I spent most of the day riding with Mark and Lynda who are both doing a section ride from Salt Lake City, Utah to Pueblo, Colorado. I kept feeling like my back tire was going flat but it wasn't - I think I was just tired maybe? I am not sure! Tomorrow we have lots of climbing so hopefully its just my tire and not my legs! I took lots of photos today of us on the bike path along the Colorado River but accidently deleted them from my camera --- oops! So much for that. You can just imagine a group of 40 riders along a beautifully paved path along a large flowing river :)

From Green River, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado - 96 miles

We arrived in Colorado - three states complete and now in our fourth state. This has been the best day so far! I couldn't have had any more fun. I had an awesome sleep the last night and felt like a million bucks. The scenary was gorgeous, yet again, with more canyons in view and the beautiful strong flowing Colorado River on our right. We had very hot weather today - I think it was in the 100s at some point. I felt strong and so glad to be on this ride. I rode about 3/4 of the day alone, which I really enjoyed because I got to go my own pace and be mindful of the beauty around me. I met up with John and Amy and Skip for the last part of the ride (Skip is pictured in front of the Colorado river... he is one of my favorite guys here... I really enjoy him... he lives in Las Vegas and has worked as a lawyer and still does part-time . . . I am pretty sure we'll keep in contact for future rides or other outdoor adventures!)... we had a good time together. The first sag stop was also a party in and of itself (gotta watch the video) and the next sag stop had cold diet cokes for us -- it was a God sent in the heat. We rode about 96 miles today on rolling terrain and I got my first flat in the last 1/4 of a mile from the hotel so I walked it in and had the mechanic fix it (I figured he was better at it than me!) I actually was making constant jokes at the 2nd sag stop that I will never get a flat on this trip and haven't gotten one yet... hahaa... so jokes on me :)

When we were about 10 miles into Colorado, we met a trail angel along the way with cold ice cream for us - her name was Sue and she had done this ride with America by Bicycle before and is from Grand Junction - her treat was such a surprised and a real delight! The day just kept getting better.

We got a ride to the bike store and I was able to pick up another tank top for the hot weather. I enjoyed dinner laughs with everyone and felt like I got as much of a workout laughing at dinner as I did riding today! I looking forward to another great sleep tonight and a great day tomorrow - life is sooo good! :)

Day 15 From Price, Utah to Green River, Utah - 67 miles

Today was another fantastic day - I needed a fantastic day after yesterday. The scenary was again beautiful with canyons surrounding the road at different points - beautiful! We left really early this morning since we knew there would be some road work and no shoulder to ride on so our leaders wanted us to avoid any major traffic through that section... we didn't have much traffic, which was nice and the section without a shoulder was short (we've had many sections with little or no shoulder and it hasn't been too bad... the cars and trucks are courteous and careful). The road waas not quite smooth but the terrain was mostly downhill or flat so the day went quick. We were in before noon and I had a shower and nap by 1:30pm - that was perfect because the day was getting hotter and hotter and there was no shade on the route). A group is going to the Arches National Park but I am going to relax at the hotel room and have some down time. I haven't had much time alone so I think I'll watch a movie and enjoy relaxing!

I rode much of the day with John and Amy, a couple from Buffalo, New York. They are a real joy to spend time with and talk with. I enjoy having them along on the trip. Below is a video of them, so you can get to know them a little too! John is also pictured above trying to get the best photo by laying on the ground! I hope the photo turned out well :)

Day 14 - From Provo, Utah to Price, Utah - 75 miles

Today was one of the most difficult days I have had yet. I woke up exhausted from not sleeping much - I have been waking up really early (between 3:30 and 4:30 every morning) and some mornings I feel great until my afternoon nap but today was not one of those days. I was exhausted as I rode on my bike and the thought of riding in the sag wagen to the hotel was VERY enticing. But I kept on riding and focused on putting one foot in front of the other and breathing in and out. We had a bit of climbing today up to Soldier's Summit and a strong headwind in the morning and another, not as strong, headwind for the last 10 or so miles. So, they day felt long and I kept on peddling on. It helped to know I could drop into a bed when I got to the hotel. It is helped that the scenary was so beautiful. We went through canyons of white, pink, and of gorgeous formations (and found this waterfall coming off the canyon). I focused on being thankful for the beauty. And then... I got to the hotel and my room wasn't ready and the tears just poured down my face... I worked so hard to get there and the idea that I couldn't just lay down and go to sleep... there was no holding back the tears. The women saw my exhaustion and my stress and found me a room that was ready. I was very grateful. I jumped in the shower to get clean and was in the bed within 5 minutes. I had a nice 1 hour nap and am looking forward to a full nights sleep tonight.

So, enough about the hard day - I also had some good times. We stopped by the Hilltop Country Service, which is a store in the middle of nowhere but the town does have a name of Colton, Utah. The man who owns the store was very nice and has been retired since 1986 but keeps the store running to keep him active during retirement. He is considered the only resident now of Colton and the town mayor (there use to be over 200 people or families who lived in the town. He showed us old photos of the town people and how the town use to look. It was nice to hear his stories. He seems like a neat man - he has survived cancer and I am sure he has many many other stories to tell us; it was nice to have a soda and hear the stories he shared.

Day 12 From Salt Lake City, Utah to Provo, Utah - 70 miles

Today was another awesome day - we did have a bit of a headwind but it wasn't too strong so it was doable without too much strain. I spent the majority of the day riding with Sue, Lynda (her friend who is riding with us til Pueblo), and Tom. We also met up with a larger group of riders in time for a nice lunch in Pueblo and a detour of the town of Pueblo and Brigham Young University (located here in Pueblo, the library is pictured here). I also enjoyed a Hogi Yogi (a great frozen yogurt shop) and bike riding through and around the downtown area (thus the ride was an extra 6 miles longer than the planned 64 mile ride). I had a lot of energy and could have kept riding. I love to ride!

Today was the hottest day we have had yet - not too hot but it was in the 80s in Provo. Gary (pictured) shows how tan we all are getting - Gary is a great guy and so funny. He is new to biking but his wife, Deb, who is also here has done a cross country tour before. He has adjusted quick to the biker lifestyle and has the tan lines to show it!

The new people on the ride are pretty nice - there are 4 new women and 3 new men. There is a brother, Joe, and sister, Rose (both from Ohio), and two women friends from Pennsylvania, Diane and Jude, and Sue's friend, Lynda (mentioned above who lives in Colorado), Mark (from Douglasville, Georgia) and Ernst (I haven't really met him yet and am not sure where he is from).

Goodbye to Fellow Riders

Well, as we journey onto Colorado, 4 of our riders have left to head home. We have many people who are doing sections of the cross country journey because it is hard to get a full 2 months off work and responsibility at home. Also, we have about 9 (not sure how many yet, I haven't met them) new ones joining us on this next section, labeled the Rockie Moutain Tour. I am going to especially miss, Charlie, who has such a great sense of humor. I really enjoyed my time getting to know him. He is going to met up with us as we pass through some other towns to say hello. I look forward to seeing him again (pictured here).

So far all our riders who are riding the whole way are healthy and doing well. No one is near dropping out but I think we all are looking forward to exploring more of the USA together. I am feeling at home with everyone now and am feeling comfortable and connected! It's like having a family away from home. It's fantastic.

Day 12 Rest Day in Salt Lake City, Utah

This was the best rest day! My good friend, Becky, who moved to Idaho about 2 or so years ago met up with me and my riding group yesterday afternoon and we had the evening and the day together today. We went to our favorite restaurant last night that we use to always go to together in California, Souplantation (we actually always went to Fresh Choice but its the same thing) and we had time to talk, catch up, and just spend time together. It was a blast! There is nothing better than getting to spend time with a close friend, especially when we hadn't seen each other in years.


So my rest day wasn't much of a rest day but was very fun. I woke up early and was excited to throw on my running shoes (which just arrived in the mail from my mom when I got into Salt Lake City - I was super excited) and I went for a 7 mile jog - I haven't ran in months but I felt like a million bucks! It was nice to be running as the sun was rising over the snow covered mountains while I listened to my favorite music on my IPOD and just felt the greatness of feeling my body run!


I came back to the room at 8am to find Becky and my roommate awake. Becky and I went to explore Salt Lake City together and just catch up as we walked around the city. We had a tour of the Mormon tabernacle or temple square or something like that... we did a full tour (about 30 minutes) where the missionaries told us about the Mormon faith. It was interesting to learn more about. I don't know much about being Mormon but heard all about the Mormon culture from Becky - and it certainly is a DIFFERENT culture and something I am not too familiar with though I did learn enough to know the Mormon religion is rather exclusive. However, they have some family values that I really respect. The temple square was amazing and gorgeous and I feel like I learned a lot by being able to take that tour (and I went on a tour about their family values also which was very interesting).



We ended up seeing most of the city - we saw the Capitol building, a country concert at a local park, a mall for lunch, and ended the day sitting down to watch the movie, Sex and the City. We came back to the motel for a glass of wine and our goodbye. It was so nice to see Becky and to spend the day with her in Salt Lake. I couldn't have asked for a better rest day (or a less restful one!) :)



I must admit I am very excited to get out and ride more of Utah tomorrow - I love being on my bike!

Day 11 From Wendover, NV to Salt Lake City Utah - 117 miles

We made it to Utah - yipee! Well, what can I say? Another day of tailwinds and some of the most spectular scenary I have seen! We saw the Salt Lake and the mountains surrounding the lake with snow still on top on some of them! I rode today with a small group for half the way and then took off on my own to ride my own pace and in my own rhythm, which was really nice. The ride only took about 6 hours and 16 minutes and was just beautiful. I felt great and strong, though my butt still hurt - I am starting to get a little chaffing so its good that we have a rest day tomorrow.

I did see quite a sight today - a man in a speedo on the side of the road who was really ripped and was being photographed by two women. As I was riding up (alone) I wasn't sure why there was a half naked guy on the side of the road... then I noticed he was being photographed... oh wow! I wish I had got a photo of that one. No one else saw that man so I can't get a photograph from them... I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do until I passed it.

Day 10 From Elko, Nevada to Wendover, Nevada - 107 miles

Can you say - WIND OVER NEVADA? That is where we are now.. Wendover. It is WINDY! We had winds between 25-35 miles an hour today. Lucky for us, it was a tailwind..yipee..so we were flying. We finished a 107 mile day by 2pm... wowzers. The scenary changed significantly and was just beautiful and breathtaking. I rode today with Tom and Sue. We had a good time. I wasn't feeling too well in the morning and was a little faint but had a nice lunch and that helped a lot. Lack of sleep is never a good thing on a trip like this so I was thankful for my afternoon nap today.

The road was long and pretty flat and we were going super fast... it felt like going to heaven to me... just flying quickly among beautiful mountains into a straight unknown place up ahead. If there had been a big light at the end of the road... I swear it would probably be just like a near death experience. It was phenomenal!

Today was the first day my rear end really hurt ... how our rear ends feel is a daily topic of conversation among all of us... it is probably the only place where you can say "how does your butt feel today?" and it is completely normal to ask and you dont get weird looks for asking. I won't try that at my new job when I get home. I might have fellow staff concerned... hahaha!
We ride into Utah tomorrow... two states will be completed with many more to go. Utah is only about a mile from here and I think all the Mormons come to Wendover to gamble ... that seems to be the only thing going on in this town.

Day 9 From Battle Mountain, Nevada to Elko, Nevada - 73 miles

Today was an amazing day - we had a strong tail wind almost all day - we were flying down the roads at over 25 miles an hour without even trying - it was fantastic! Well, I almost forget, we did have a climb up to Emigrant Pass (which was a nice climb - that is Don and I pictured at the summit) and had rumble strips that we went over for miles on I80E and couldn't avoid (see video above). The scenary was amazing with a canyon view at one point and nice snow covered mountains (the Ruby mountains) in the distance. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

I have been riding with the same group of about 10-15 other riders and have enjoyed our conversations and getting to know them all well. We had many laughs today and overall everyone seemed in a cherry mood; we were all enjoying ourselves. We had lunch at Burger King and the group all got doo rags for their heads (I refused to get one... you'll understand when I get a photo up here of all of them with their doo rags! Oh man! :) We were having tons of fun. I was welcomed to Elko by Deb and Gary (a nice couple from Chicago) treating me to coffee at a local coffee shop. Everyone in Elko has been super friendly and nice. We learned that there is a local college here and this is definitely not "in the middle of nowhere" - it is a nice town. According to Gary, it is one of the top 100 places to retire... not completely sure why but it seems like a nice enough town.

I had a lovely afternoon swim in the indoor swimming pool and enjoyed some conversation with some locals in the hot tub. I am resting up for the next two days, which will be consecutive centuries plus (108 miles ish and 117 miles ish)! YAHOO! Bring it on baby (just no wind, pleeeease :)

Day 8 From Winnemucca, Nevada to Battle Mountain, Nevada - 55 miles

As we left the town of Winnemucca, we met up with some local cowboys who took a picture with Sue and I. Also, the local women's linguire shop had a sign "welcome bikers" - did they realize most of our bikers are men? Anyway, it was funny! The local cowboys were very proud of being cowboys and quite drunk at 8am! :) They said it was their day off and they had been drinking all night... lovely... I guess what else do you do when you are young and live in a town of 100 (or so?)? Our tour leader, Christine, also took a photo to put on the official America by Bicycle blog for this trip (link is on the right if you want to check it out).

Today was a really easy flat riding day (we did have a 4 mile climb but it wasn't hard at all) - the wind wasn't too strong so it was very enjoyable! There aren't many towns in Nevada, so we had to have a short ride today since the next town is another days ride away. Despite hanging around at sag stops and rest stops and taking my time, I was still in by 12:30pm and decided to go explore the town of Battle Mountain - about 10 minutes later, the exploration was done... not much there. Everything is closed since it is a Sunday so I joined up with some fellow riders for a bite to eat and am now going to do laundry. If I had my running shoes, a run today would have been great. My mom is sending my running shoes to Salt Lake City, where I'll be in about 3 more riding days. The scenary today was gorgeous... with desert mountains surrounding us. I rode most of the day with some other riders and then rode the last 17 miles by myself... singing as I rode. It was really nice.

I keep thinking that every town I go to is in the middle of nowhere... and Bald Mountain fits that description too... so maybe it is best to say that most of the towns in Nevada are in the middle of nowhere! The farther I go into Nevada the farther each town is from anywhere.

My garmin GPS system stopped working today - not sure why, so I can't keep track of pace, time, distance or anything - it's okay sort of but our cue sheets are based on distance so its helpful to know how far I've gone so I know when I should turn. I plan to call Garmin tomorrow to have them send me a new one and my mom has one she is sending to Salt Lake City with my running shoes, just in case Garmin takes awhile to get it to me.

Day 7 from Lovelock, Nevada to Winnemucca, Nevada - 72 miles

Well, did you ever know that the wind could blow in ONE DIRECTION directly into your face for an entire 5 hours of riding? Oh yes, it can happen! Today, we road directly into a headwind all day. After the first sag stop, I was mentally exhausted and physically exhausted from the wind and we had only ridden 25 miles so far. I was trying to be positive but wasn't feeling too positive. Luckily, a group of 15 of us ended up doing a double paceline for the last 50 or so miles. It was fantastic! I have never been in that large of a paceline and a double paceline was even better... we rode much faster and even had trivia questions going down the paceline! That was fun. It was mentally so much easier to be riding with everyone else and we rode like a well oiled machine - that was quite an experience.

We arrived in Winnemucca - more the middle of nowhere than Lovelock! I can't imagine living in such a town. I was looking for postcards for my neice and nephew and most of the postcards themselves said "hello from the middle of nowhere Nevada" - so they also know they are in the middle of nowhere (it's not hard to know that!). We are going to be riding through Nevada for the next few days and I think its all about the same... desert, desert mountains, and flat lands - the next town we go to is only 55 miles or so away and then the next one is over 90 miles away, so we have a short day tomorrow. I hope the hotel will have a pool - I am itching to go swimming. I actually am also itching to run - I miss my running! I am going to have my mom bring my running shoes when she meets me in Missouri. I think my body is getting use to the riding all day and I am finding I have energy later to go do things, which is nice (especially when I get a chance to take a nap - naps are great!). So, well see about fitting in running... it might be a mistake since I haven't ran in months but to take a small jog around town would be nice - its a great way to see these small towns too. I walked around Winnemucca - not much to see but shops and it is large enough to have a Walmart (granted I think Walmart probably employees almost everyone who lives in Winnemucca and maybe the surrounding towns). The town we are going to tomorrow they say is smaller than Lovelock... can you get smaller than Lovelock? I guess so! It's fun to see these small towns and see that people actually live in them... amazing! Especially coming from Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley area... so different.

I am having computer problems so I haven't been able to post photos the last few days. I am going to be trying a different method to get photos up here because its always fun to see photos (I am going between the hotel computers and my own computer and through the both, I think it will work - you'll know if you see photos).

I feel like I am starting to get to know everyone, which is really nice. I am still learning names. It helped to have the double paceline going today because you feel like you are all working together as a team. My roomate, Sue, is great and we ride about the same pace, so that is nice. I feel like I am also getting so humor and laughs going with some of the men... so that's fun - I love to laugh and have fun. It's only been a week... I am sure by the end we will all have our own flow and feel like family!

Day 6 from Sparks, Nevada to Lovelock, Nevada - 91 miles

We arrived today in Lovelock, Nevada (you could also refer to it as the middle of nowhere Nevada). We rode about 75 miles today on the Interstate 80E - which was a lot of highway riding. The scenary was beautiful and I rode a lot of it alone since the cars were so loud and you couldn't talk with anyone with the strong winds. I put on sunscreen three times today but still got burnt on my face, though I think it is wind burn. The weather has been nice - mid-70s across Nevada is good. The road was quite flat and we had a nice country road for the last 12 miles and I had some good companions to chat along the last section. I arrived in Lovelock about 2pm and cleaned my bike, did my meditation, and hung out with everyone and did laundry. We had some good conversations over beers and pretzels --- oh the life on the road! It couldn't be better :) We had a group discussion about pacelines, a nice dinner at Sturgeon's and now we are all getting ready for bedtime (or reading or what not). I found the only two postcards in Lovelock to mail to my neice and nephew... small towns are so funny. Off we go to Winnemucca tomorrow and there is suppose to be a town festival happening - yipee.

Its amazing how times flies through the days - sometimes we get in as early as 1 or 2pm and by the time we get showered, maybe take a nap, do laundry, clean our bikes, or something, it is already time for our route rap and then dinner. However, I never feel rushed... we have enough time to do everything, which is nice and really relaxing - I guess that is what vacation is all about :)

Day 5 From Truckee, CA to Sparks, Nevada

Wow what a day and what a ride!! It was quite cold out when we left Truckee this morning and we headed toward Lake Tahoe along a beautiful bike path. It was sooo gorgeous and we started to warm up as the day went on and we got riding. I didn't sleep well last night especially and have been waking up every morning between 3:30am and 4:30am, much too early! Anyway, I was "sleep riding" today - luckily the scenary kept my attention and the roads were technical enough to keep me awake.

After going past Squaw Valley, we took the bike path to King's Beach in Lake Tahoe, and then we headed into Nevada (yay - we crossed our first state line). Then we up and over Mt. Rose - it was quite a climb - we just went up and up and up without any break for about 8-9 miles. I just focused ahead, head down, and climbed, climbed, climbed - we hit the summit of Mt. Rose, which is the highest part of the Sierra's that is open year around.

We had a 16 mile descent, which was fantastic - the winds were high so we couldn't go too fast but it was still super fun! We headed into flat Nevada for the last 10 miles of the day, for a total of about 65 miles.

I had a great nap when I got in this afternoon and feel like a millon bucks - I can't wait to do it again tomorrow and ride 90 miles in Nevada - YIPEE! A new state to explore... so fun :) Hopefully, I'll start sleeping through the night so that I don't have to sleep ride (though I am getting good at it!).

Day 4 From Auburn to Truckee

Wow, what a day! Took us almost the whole day to get from Auburn to Truckee.. we left at 6:30 this morning and arrived at 4:30 this afternoon - it was a day full of lots of climbing (oooh... fondly reminded me of the Santa Cruz mountains), lots of great scenary, and a real cool museum about Donner Pass. I enjoyed watching a video on the wagons that tried to come over the mountains (a short cut) but only about half the people survived (and some resorted to canabolism). I feel like I am learning more about the USA as I go... which is really part of what I wanted out of this trip. The climbing wasn't too bad today but I am ready for a nap! The weather was super nice - not too hot and not too cold through the mountains. Our trip leader was telling us that they have never had good weather on I-80E to Truckee and through Donner Pass... they had years with snow, rain, and conditions that were so bad that they had to get off the road until it cleared up. So, I was expecting the worse... and.... it was really nice with blue skies! Yay us!

So, my legs are feeling great, my spirits are high, and I am having so much fun. I feel so lucky to get to wake up tomorrow and ride again - life can't get better than that!! I actually met a guy, Richard, who is biking to Providence, Rhode Island after the trip and I am thinking of joining him. I am still looking for someone who wants to bike BACK to San Fran with me but I haven't had any takers (I am only partially kidding here!!) :) Then again, I am only 4 days into the trip so we will see how I feel as the days go on! I love this trip and love the challenge of climbing - I actually wish there were more nice climbs on the trip... ahh well.. I'll enjoy whatever we have because I get to be out and on my bike everyday with some great folks! Life is good.

Day 3 From Sacramento to Auburn

Today's ride was yet again beautiful and the weather was very nice. We only rode 51 miles since this is our last stop before we go up and over Donner's Pass (yum...)! We enjoyed a nice basically flat bike path for most of the morning along the American River (just gorgeous) until we reached Folsom Lake (see the picture of the biker women at Folsom Lake - myself, Amy (who is here with her husband, John), and Sue, my roomie). I rode and chatted away with my roommate, Sue, most of today. She is a pretty amazing person - we chatted about Tanzania, since we have both been there, and she climbed Mt. Kili about 3 years ago (still a dream of mine). Many of the riders are world travelers and have great stories of different places and different adventure sports they have done there. We enjoyed a nice long lunch again since the day was short one. I had a nice rest this afternoon as we gear up for a long climb tomorrow (it will be the hardest day of the entire trip - yipee!).

So, every evening we have "route rap" where we go in detail over the next day's route. I have state maps so I can orientate myself to where we are going each day - which is great. Then, we head over to dinner as a group somewhere (tonight is Sizzler's). We also have a maintence hour where the maintence man will help us with any bike issues - it sometimes is in the afternoon and other times in the evenings. When we arrive at the hotel, there is a board that tells us what time and where route rap is, what time and where maintence hour is, what time and where dinner is, and what time we load in the morning and what time we have breakfast in the morning - it is a pretty nice system.

After dinner, we get ready for the next day, update our blogs, make any phone calls, read, meditate, and then head to bed earlier. We typically leave between 6-8am, depending on how long of a ride we have the next day. We have a loading time, a breakfast time, and then we can departure after both of those things. Well, off I go to route rap to learn about the hardest day of the ride that comes up tomorrow ----- I am really excited about it (oh and my knee is feeling better... keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming!!).

Day 2 From Fairfeild to Sacramento

Today was an awesome day - the weather was amazing - nice and warm but not too hot all day. We had an easy 53 mile ride into Sacramento along some nice smooth country roads and many well paved bike paths. I have never riden so flat!! We were flying with a nice tail wind... and with only 53 miles to go all day - we decided to all stop and hang out in Davis for awhile. The campus at Davis is beautiful!! The day was filled with nice conversations and an easy relaxed pace, which was great for me since my right knee is a little sore. I am not sure why but I am babying it as best as I can and praying for the best!

Despite the easy ride day, it seemed to be a busy day. Part of that was coordinating getting together with my family for dinner, which was a blast. My parents, my Aunt Carol, Uncle Brooks, Aunt Joyce, Counsin Anika and Cousin-in-law Michael all joined me and my group for dinner at a Mexican restaurant! It is always good to spend time with them and it was really nice to see Aunt Carol and Uncle Brooks who are visiting from Germany for Ani's graduation. The evening was filled with great laughter, good food, good wine/drinks, and some singing! We had a ball. My parents took me to a drug store afterwards to get a couple braces for my knee to try out. It was nice to have a drive in the car since all the places we have been haven't really passed by any big stores to get anything. So, that was a blessing! And I gave my mom some of the stuff I didn't need and she gave me a few things I did need and forgot.

My mom also brought me some state maps so I can map out where we are everyday.. when riding on country roads, it is hard to orientate myself to where we are.

Here is a picture of Sarge, our man from Trinidad. He has a webcam on his helmet so all of trinidad can see his trip across America - I road with him for part of the day.

Day 1 From San Fran to Fairfeild

Well, I woke up this morning at 3am with an inability to get back to sleep - ready to begin my first day with some new friends as we all get to know each other and follow a VERY complicated route - a route sheet that is 3 plus pages including columns and double sided... that is a lot of different streets!! We even had some unplanned detours, some bike paths under construction and some climbing under fences to get to the other side of roads! But I made it through day 1 - about 83 miles! And many of us stayed together so if we got lost, at least we were in a group. We had the famous wheel dipping ceremony in the Pacific Ocean about 9am and then road over the Golden Gate Bridge, through Salsalito (so gorgeous), San Rafael, and on Hwy 37 - it was a beutiful ride and the weather couldn't have been better.

The people in the group are all super nice... most of them are retired men with just a speck of females. Sue, my roommate, and I are the only single women on the trip - Sue is 61 and is turning 62 on the ride. She is great and I really enjoy her. I am sure you'll hear more about her on the trip. I don't know who the oldest guy is on the trip but the youngest is 17 years old - he is here with his dad and they are biking to Pueblo, CO. There are many people who are just doing sections of the ride across the country and about 35 of us that are going the whole way. We will have others join us in different cities.

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned for Day 2!

Adrianna Waves Goodbye & Follows Along on Her Map

I dropped by my sister's today to say goodbye to my neice and nephew and to drop off the map that I promised Adrianna so she could follow along - I also got her smily stickers so she could keep track of the route and the cities I pass through - she will also be checking her mailbox for her postcard from each city I stay in throughout the trip.... aren't they both the cutest children ever or am I just one proud aunt? They are such great kids! I'll miss 'em while I am gone.

Special Thanks to My Mechanic, Craig at Spokesman

He is a star and super helpful and can solve the most difficult random things! He went over and beyond to make sure I am safe. Special thanks to everyone else at Spokesman for your help over the last many months - I appreciate it!

Why do some people seem suprised? It's Not THAT far to Maine :)

We all had a great party to celebrate my adventure and send me off with a bang at El Palomar! It was great to have all my different family, friends, and neighbors there. It was a great time... I am going to miss everyone this summer but look forward to a return BBQ where we can all share stories about our summer adventures... I'll be sure to have stories!! :)

I wish I knew how to edit these photos! (let me know if you know)... man, I need more computer skills! Enjoy the photos and thanks to all who came - I had a blast and feel very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life!

Are you really? Biking? Across America??

Okay, so everyone has sooo many questions... and I have SOME answers (the truth is that I am just showing up and following the route they give me!)

First, YES, I am biking my beautiful, awesome bike with a cool new bell on it that says I LOVE MY BIKE (well, not REALLY on my bike but on it in spirit since I don't really have room for it) thanks to Emily (thanks Em!)! Cause I really do love my bike... though I might have a love-hate relationship with it at certain parts on the trip!

I can't wait to go.... I have put a lot of hard training days, lots of sleep and still often fatigue, new necessary nutrition learning, all together and off I am going... leaving from San Francisco and looking towards Maine (and over the Rockies!).

Check out the trip online: http://www.americabybicycle.com/CCC/

I will be keeping the blog along the way - so stay tuned and don't forget to comment so I know you are out there!! :)